Aerial-torpedo-steering mechanism.



L. J. HUSTED.

AERIAL TORPEDO STEERING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.18, 1915;

1,222,630. I Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

wmmw Lemuel Cfofin Hifazecl,

A'W'QLM' @631: v MW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

LEMUELJOHN HUSTED, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

AEIQIAL-TORPEDO-STEERIN'G MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apiu17, 191w.-

Application filed December 18, 1915. Serial No. 67,565.

To all wkomz't may concern: v

Be it known that I, Lmunn JOHN HUs'rnD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aerial-Torpedo-Steering Mechanisms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact desdription, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. a

The invention relates to autdmatic steering mechanism for aerial torpedoes, bombs, projectiles and the like and seeks to provide a simple, accurate and eflicient automatic steering mechanism that may be easily and inexpensively applied to any form of descending or initial velocity driven body, and more particularly to torpedoes, bombs and projectiles released and descending from aerial craft, such as aeroplanes, airships, bal Icons and the like.

The effectiveness of explosives released from aerlal craft has not heretofore proven satisfactory to the oflensive, owing to the fact that only on rare occasions and principally by cliance does the missile reach the intended object.

The seeming impossibility of gaining a position truly vertical with and above the object it is desired to attack, so that the bomb may be released and descend by gravity to the object, has been 'fully proven by recent and extensive practical demonstration. The efi'ect of air currents and ref sistance has also had a negative influence over this form of ofi'ensive operations. It is essential that an automatic steering mechanism be provided that will be attracted by the object it is desired to destroy, so thatlthe unskilled, as well as the skilled may reach a position approximately above. ,a' cannon,

metal fortificatiom battle ship, cruiser or submarine and release the bomb, torpedo or projectile and the steering mechanism will without fail guide the missile true to the intended ob ect of attack. The presentmvention se aerial bombs, torpedoes, projectiles angllother missllc, that will guide the missile true to any metallic body, such as a cannon, fortification, battle ship, cruiser or submarine craft.

By the employmentof the improved steerv o 7 eksto provide an improved automatrc steerlng mechanism'for ing mechanism a missile released from an aerial craft at a conslderable distance from a true vertlcal posltion above a metal ob ect,

such asan armed vessel, cannon, fortification, or enemy aerial craft carrying explosives incased in metal, will go true to the desired object and strike it, the result being destruction of the object,providing the shell broken from the View side to show the arrangement of the steering mechanism. Fig.2 is a plan view of the destroying. missile.

Fig. 3 is a'diagrammatical view showingv the steering mechanism magnets and the depending controller pieces, and the connections. v v

The term missile is employed throughout the specification and in the claims to designate any form of torpedo, projectile or other explosive or destructive material that may I be employed to combat'an enemy, while the term object is employed both in the speclflcation and in the claims to designate a battle vship, cruiser, submarine, cannon, fortification or ther*form of combatting craft, or land fightingmachine or 1n 'fact any offensive or defensive fighting equipment.

The shell 1 is shown broken open to show' the steering mechanism and other equipment, and it may be made of any suitable material, but preferably of brass or othernon magnetizable metal,- fiber, or fabric.

The shell 1 is preferably pointed at the end 2 and closed at the upper end by the head 3, the division walls 4 and 5 forming a chamber 6 for,containing ammunition, while the division wall 7 forms a suitable support for the batteries 8 and a means of ioa suspension for th depending controller 9 .1

The particular arrangement of the shell and explosives contained therein is not essential to the'inventlon, It belng obvious that to opposite poles of the battery 8, by the wires 12 and 13, the wires 12 being provided with the usual switch 14 so positioned as to close the electric circuit to the ignition terminals when the end 15 of the switch strikes an object, it being well known that the explosionwill occur instantly on closing the switch.

Suitably positioned underneath the wall 7 is the socket 16 from which depends the dependin controller 9, the lower end of the control er 17 being free to swing as a pendulum in every direction from the central position as shown, it being understood that the shell will naturally descend ina vertical line and that the controller will hang centrally until attracted from central positoin by some force other than gravity.

Near the socket 16 in-order to produce the /least possible resistance to the free suspension of the controller, is the electromagnetcoil 18 with the wires 19 and 20 leading to the battery 8, so-that the controller may be energized by the coil and so magnetized asto form an electromagnet. It" being understood that the controller may be a ermanent magnet, or otherwise as desired, and that the poles of the controller maybe reversed as an 1 electromagnet by reversing the connection of the wires employed for the purpose of connecting the current. v

The end 21 of the depending controller 9 serves to contact with the semicircular contact plates 25, 26, 27 and 28 and conduct electric current from the batteries 8 to the respectiveelectromagnet coils 29, 30, .31 and 32, the coils being mounted on cores 33, 34,-

Y and 36 r'espectively,the wires 37, 38, 39

and '40 connecting from the respective contact plates ;to the respective, coils, the coils serving armatures41, 42, 43 and 44 respe'c- 'tively and the wire 45 connectingthe'coils in parallel with the depending controller so that as the controller contacts with each plate the respective coil is energized and'the respective armature drawn to the respective core. r The armatures 41,42,43 and 44 are rigidly connected to the shaft 46 whichis provided wlth the ball portion 47 fitting in the ball socket 48, allowing the shaft to swing freely in every direction until the armatures and.

cores contact, the shaft being held and pre-.

( vented from revolving by the raised portions 48 of the head 3, between which the blades 47 are positione In operation the chamber 6 is filled with any suitable explosives and the missile re-' leased from the aerial craft, when it will descend in approximately a true vertical line until the depending controller is attracted r to the object which the missile is intended to strike. The controller will make contact with the respective contact plate and the respective magnetic coil will be energized and the respective armature drawn thereto, whenth'e blades 47 projecting from the shaft 'will change the course of the -missile and cal line until the controller is attracted by .by magnetic influence.

missile is directed to-an the object of attack. 7

The aerial missile automatic steering mechanism is of chief importance for the guiding of missiles released from aerial craft to metallic objects on land and on and under water, and may also be advantageously employed in connection with missiles thrown by cannon, engine and by hand. It-is obvious that changes may be made in the details as set forth without departure from the essentialsof the invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1 v 1. In an aerial missile, a magnetized depending controller, contact plates arranged around said controller, a guidin blade, electromagnets to control said guiding blade, and connections connecting from said contact plates to said electromagnets.

2. In an aerial missile, a magnetized depending controller, blades to control the and turn said aerial missile from vertical f direction when said'controller'is attracted 3. In an aerial missile, a magnetized depending controller, means to guide said missile, and connecting means whereby said controller 'will control said means to turn said missile from a vertical direction.

4. .In an aerial missile, a depending controller, means to charge said controller with electromagnetic energy, aplurality of blades to guide said missile, and means connecting said controller and said blades whereby said object that will .attract said controller.

5. In an aerial missile, afsuitable shell, a plurality ofsteering .bladesconnected to said shell-through suitable connections, the alinement of said blades changeablefrom the line of travel of said shell, said blades free to normally follow the direction of the travel of said shell, electromagnets arran ed to change the angle of said blades, an a magnetized depending controller arranged to close an electric circuit with said magnets and compel said shell to follow the direction said controller may point.

6. In a steering mechanism for descending missiles, .a missile, a rudder pivotally connected to said missile, an armature connectingto said rudder, electromagnets arranged around said armature, a depending controller needle, a plurality of contact plates arranged around the free end of said def pending needle, said depending needle elec- ,trically connected to one pole of said elec-.

tromagnets and each of said contact plates electrically connected to the opposite pole of one of said magnets so that when said depending needle contacts with one of said contact plates electrical connection is made with thecorresponding electromagnet and the direction of said missile changed toward the direction of the inclination of said depending needle.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' LEMUEL JOHN HUSTED.

Witnesses: HARRY H. TERTE,

JEPTHA J. KENDRIGK. 

